Transport in Pader
Transport is terrible in Pader, I mean really terrible. If you don't have a car (and hardly anyone does) You can go to the neighbouring towns by motorcycle taxi which is dangerous and expensive, on the back of a truck with whatever livestock or goods might crush you. You can go in a car with 8 or 10 of you in a five seater which is dangerous, sweaty and uncomfortable.
Pader is in the north of
Uganda, it is a very poor community, the average wage is less than $1.50 per day. There is currently no transport service during
the day for a town of 15,000 people. We believe
this is restricting communities ability to generate trade and wealth and to
sustainably support their families.
So we want to help Pader grow
commercially – which we believe will have a developmental ripple effect across the town and which will allow people in Pader reach better services such as hospitals and clinics in the towns and cities.
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What We Need & What You Get
We want to buy a 4x4 Toyota minibus. These hold 14 people and will carry luggage in the roof rack. We will need good mud tyres and a winch for when we get stuck. We need to equip the van with enough seats and extra tough suspension and pay the legal fees for starting a community transport service. These minibuses are the lifeblood of transportation in East Africa and are easily repaired in Uganda. They are also rugged and reliable.
In return for the support we will plaster your name on the van. The more you give the bigger your name will be and you will achieve fame and notoriety in rural Africa. People may name their children after you and your name will be forever associated with helping a rural community in rural Africa develop.
What Reliable Transport Means
Imagine not being able to get good medical care or drugs when you or your child is sick. Imagining waiting weeks or months for a vital part or tool to arrive so you can continue your business. Reliable transport means you are connected to the world and you are able to take advantage of opportunities afforded by access to larger towns and cities. It means you can see friends and family more often and travel onwards to places such as Kampala or Juba. You can choose to start businesses using materials or tools which were previously unavailable to you. Extra educational possibilities open up for your children and its easier to find qualified employees and employers if they can reach you easily.
The Impact
Oasis have been working in Pader in Northern Uganda for the past seven years. In the past the community was decimated by attacks from the Lords Resistance Army which was very active in the region committing attrocities in villages and small towns such as Pader.
Oasis started working in Pader as a response to this, since then our work has expanded to include football teams, savings and loans groups, HIV and STD prevention and catch-up classes which help those kids who need extra help in school. We believe in equipping and strengthening the community, to do this we want to help Pader grow commercially.
Just one bus could transfer 168 passengers per week, and we believe this would not only improve the lives of
those passengers, but also the families & communities that will share in
the sustainable benefits of increased trade in Pader. We also believe it could have a
multiplier effect, increasing Pader’s presence as a centre for trade in the
region.
Once the service is
established, our research reassures us that it will become sustainable & self-funding very
quickly. We just need to buy the first
bus - this is where we think you can help. If we achieve more for our fundraising then we can buy additional buses which would multiply the effect.
Any profits will all go directly to Oasis' work in Uganda building communities where everyone is included, making a contribution and reaching their God given potential.
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Risks & Challenges
The roads are really bad in this region, especially when it rains. Trucks carve huge channels in the road which then fill with water and make them barely passable. The government has promised to start paving some of the major roads in the region but this has yet to start.
We will have a properly maintained four wheel drive vehicle with a winch and good mud tyres to help us traverse the roads.
We will also need good public liability insurance and an experienced driver because you never know what might happen on the road.
Oasis has to make sure we are corruption free, this will mean that everyone involved receives a fair wage and it also means making sure that audits and accounts are done well, ticketing and bookings mean that cash is carefully accounted for and the supply chain is managed well.
Other Ways You Can Help
No Money? No Problem!
Please help us by sharing this campaign with your friends. After all they could be famous.
Follow us on Twitter @oasisuganda or Facebook "Oasis in Uganda"
Catch up with our website www.oasisug.org
How about doing a fundraiser for us? We love weird and wacky ideas to raise funds.
